Stepfather kills Colo. teen mistaken for burglar

Dec. 24, 2013
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Breaking News / Tory Hargro, USA TODAY

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

A Colorado teenager apparently sneaking back into her home before dawn Monday was shot and killed when her stepfather mistook her for a burglar.

Colorado Springs police said the unidentified 14-year-old girl was shot just before 6 a.m. as she entered her home in the 4000 block of Ascendant Drive, on the city's northeast side. Officers rushed her to a local hospital, where she died.

Police do not plan to release the identities of the victim or her stepfather, said spokesman Larry Herbert.

The initial 911 call was for a burglary in progress, he said. He did not say how many times the girl was shot or identify the type of weapon used.

Officers found the girl in the basement with a chest wound, KOAA-TV reported, adding police scanner suggests she had climbed through a cellar window.

A neighbor told KRDO-TV she was startled by "three bangs," which she thought was "someone hitting on a car or a garage door or something like that."

Police and the district attorney are investigating. No charges have been filed.